The sun., 1887-11-17


the readiest means Of p0bl,shing opin-
ions on any subject. Bacon intended
~ his plays 10 inc0lcate advanced
opinions on any sntjects--reforms In
law. statecraft, manners. natural phil.
osorhy and religion. The days We're
dangerous. Men were liable to be
imprisoned. tortured, slain even, for
their opinions anil beliefs. The theo
Try ia, therefore. that Bacon then
adopted the method OF the ancisnts
(which he himcelf ex2ornds and com
mendsl. aud. clothing himself in the
humbls weed OF The poor rlayer. be
poured ont to ears, many Of whicl,
hearing heard not, the thoughts and
aspirations of his myriad mind.
But to return to tho eircnmstantial
evidence bearing on tho subject.
There are no manuscripts efthe plays
extant. 1t is said that the copies of
their parts were supplicd to the actnrs
by the manager. Shakespeare, in his
own handwriting. and "witli. ut a
hlot," fact which is ia my mind
strongly against his authorship; for
a busy and prolific composer does not
II he can help it. write fair copies Tor
distribution, and certainly not with.
out alienation or blot.
Bat is the character aai career of
the man himself an indication that he
was the author!
If we hal Nd knowledge or reco, d
OF him. it would be better for lis re-
puted title to the authorship; rs it is,
we know just enough of what manner
of man he was to find great difficulty
in recognizing the possibility of his
having produced such learned. ele.
CANT and varied masterpieces MS those
which bear colorable imitation OF
his name.
The history of his life so far as it is
known. is very shortly as follow:
Born at Stra,ford on Avon in 1864.
the SON of John Shakespeare, butcher.
wool s.anlrr or glover; his mother.
Mary Arden. of peasant family; neith-
er parent of any reputed ability or
s,rning. Supposed to have been for
II short time ut the Stratford gram
MIR school; but there is no authentic
evidence of even this short period of
tuition. There is also tradition that
he became a country schoolmaster.
and legal critics, despite of any tradi-
tion, are sure that he was once en-
ployed in lawyers Office; but no
hint of his having become remarkable
in either capacity. and both stories
seem to be rather an Inference from
the legal and other large knowledge
and learning apparent in the plays
than based on any real record or ira
dition.
lie married at eighteen. There
are local traditions that he followed
his fathers trade as butcher, and
used to make a fine speech before kill
ing calf; of his having been in the
habit of drinking. at pot-houses and
clubs. hunting conys for amusement,
and poaching in the neighborhocd,
until Sir Thomas Lucy. the resident
squire, after more than usually ag-
graved case of poaching by him, pros
ecuted him. the result being that lie
soon after left Stratfo.d, and went in
1857 to London. There he is reported
to have made his living for a time by
holding horses at the Globe Theater,
then working his way into situation
inside the theater. and then coming
by degrees, to be employed rs ..s.l-
pei" and s.walking" or "utiI;ty gen.
tleman.''
Now the cou,mencement OF the
phenomena. A few Years after his
arrival in London appeared the poem,
Venus and Adonis, dedicated to the
young Earl of Southampton, friend
of Bacon, whom Shakespeare could
1 hNVO huSVHs ulIlCSS ilOii siOiu.
ing his horse at the door OF the thea
| ter.
/ Disregarding its subject, it is one
of the most elegant pieces of rh-tor-
ical poetry that English literature
| has produced to this day. Such a PRO
duction from a young countryman-
schoolmaster, If you please-w hu
could only have known the Warwick
shire dialect, had had little opport nn-
ity for refined study of the English
language. ard WHO had been earring
his bread by holding horses, and was
now engaged in minor caracity in.
side a theater. would. / think / am
justified in saying. have been not on.
ly a phenomenon but a miracle. Some
| Of the sonnets. very finished produc-
! tions. also appeared, and some of the
earliest plays are also supposed, by
some of the critics, to have seen Tire
light about this time.
I fCOntinued to npxt week.